What is radon and why should I test for it?

We commonly place our monitors during the home inspection (before/after when necessary or requested). The monitors need 48 hours of data for accurate results but sometimes will need 72-96 hours for various reasons. The vast majority of tests are 48 hours.

Our machines can be locked to prevent tampering and occupants and/or owners MUST follow Closed Building Conditions as part of due diligence in the real estate transaction. It is a LAW.

Upon pickup, we upload the data into our system and the report is generated with the results. The report is typically sent out within a couple hours of pickup. 

We use the industry standard continuous radon monitors manufactured by SUN NUCLEAR. These monitors collect the atmosphere and count alpha particles as they decay on the filter. IEMA - Illinois Emergency Management Agency - has set the "actionable" level at 4.0 pCi/L. If the test produces an EPA average above this level, mitigation will likely be required to reduce the concentration to safe levels.

This link will take you directly to IEMA Homeowners/Buyers FAQ's:

https://iema.illinois.gov/nrs/radon/faq.html

As costs continue to rise everywhere around us, our goal is to provide the BEST service at the BEST price. Your cost is a flat rate regardless of location, amount of machines required, or any other factors!

Please reach out to find out more about how we can help you and your clients with this process! We offer a discounted rate for REALTORS and we can also make the process much easier on you by having full access to properties through the use of ShowingTime, SentriLock access, etc. As REALTORS, we are well versed in the language and properly communicating information and logistics to all parties further reducing your liability and helping take one of the many items of the home buying process off of your plate!

1. My home doesn't have a basement so I don't have radon. FALSE! If your home doesn't have a basement, the radon will be concentrated on the main level - if you have a ranch, you'll be in constant exposure!
2. I can just buy one of those test kits from my local hardware store. TRUE BUT is the seller is going to let YOU place the test, follow your instructions, and guarantee they aren't tampered with? Not to mention the time to get results back from the lab is not conducive to the due diligence period of a real estate transaction. Also, charcoal canisters can be biased towards the results at the end of test due to the half-life whereas CRM's integrate evenly over time and provide hourly readings with an overall average.
3. I can do a test later after I move in. TRUE BUT then you have no recourse for an elevated level! If the level is found to be above the threshold during your inspection period, the seller will then have to disclose to a future buyer making it more likely that they'll just go ahead and mitigate or least provide a credit for you to mitigate at a later time.
4. My neighbor had a test and it was low so I don't need to test. FALSE! While the soil composition may be similar, differences in the structure may be enough to have different levels. It is very common to have homes on the same street with completely different results.